New Commuter Bike

[WindingRoad]

It does have all the requirements for rear and front rack and fenders :-) I was thinking of those polycarbonate fenders in silver for it. I'd like to keep the weight down in the case of stairs again. A guy I know has last years model and he said I could ride it. He really loves the one he has. He does lots of rain commuting too.

[Catrin]

I have SKS fenders on my LHT and they are quite light & quiet. They come in several colors I think. The version on my LHT are close to transparent which I like.

[WindingRoad]

So I opted to build up my own bike instead of going with the Redline. Gonna get a Civia Bryant frame; steel, accepts disk brakes, racks, fenders etc. My biggest dilemma has been what type of drivetrain to go with. Many people I know who commute say absolutely go with a triple, others swear by a compact. Some are saying use a mountain bike crank etc. So many combos it makes my head spin. I tried using some of the SRAM road components and I don't particularly care for that big hand movement you have to do to downshift. That doesn't seem like something I want to do in traffic or while loaded up with cargo. Maybe I'm just used to Shimano stuff and its just what I'm comfortable with. I am told SRAM shifts better under load which sounds good on paper but honestly by now I've learned to shift ahead of time so shifting under load hasn't been a problem. The shifters on my commuter now are pretty dumpster and I've made them work just fine so it would seem that if I did a 105 triple I would think I'm in heaven. I hope I don't drive myself insane obsessing over components to put on this thing. Its kinda driving me crazy but in a good way I am super excited about getting this thing built up. Anyone have any suggestions of rims??? I'm gonna go with Deore XT mountain hubs, been looking at DT Swiss tandem rims and Stan's ZTRs. I wasn't sure about how the Stan's were b/c they say they were for tubeless tires but that they could do tubes? I was wondering how bad they would be to get a tire on and off of that rim, anyone have insight into that one?

[WindingRoad]

http://civiacycles.com/bikes/bryant/bryant_frame/#build

Here's the frame I'm building up? What do you think?

[Biciclista]

since weight is not a big issue for you, the extra 4 ounces from adding the triple are not going to bother you. If you like a triple,g et a triple. If you like Shimano, get that too.
I applaud you for building up a bike yourself! I wish I had disc brakes!

[Catrin]

Congratulations on your decision! It is good to be able to reach that point, it gives you a direction. I was going to suggest SRAM X0 trigger or grip shifters but then remembered that you want to go with road bars...don't think that would work

I have no experience with road bikes and commuting - but considering the size of hills you will deal with, what's wrong with a triple and a mountain rear cassette? It won't add much weight and gives you a full range of options. Personally I prefer the combination of mountain crank with mountain cassette on my Gunnar, my LHT has a road crank with mountain cassette and the range of gears are much wider on the LHT. I love my Mavic rims, strong and light, but of course you aren't going with 26 inch wheels

Have fun as you explore your possibilities and looking forward to learning what you decide upon!

Beautiful frame, congratulations on your decision again! Best way to get what you want

[pll]

How cool, building a bike. The one argument I see for a SRAM groupset is that they have 11-32 cassettes (PG 1050 and PG 1070), compatible with Apex, Rival and Force. Shimano has up to 11-28 only.

When I was shopping for my bike, I tried SRAM and I really liked it. At the end, it would have entailed a higher price for me, so I stuck with Shimano. The SRAM components are also significantly lighter than the Shimano counterparts. My next bike (when I win the lottery) will have SRAM Red!

[Velocivixen]

I don't have any tech iCal expertise to add, but wanted to say Congratulations! Enjoy choosing your components, etc. But one tiny piece of unsolicited advice is not to obsess too much. I know from experience! Also, things that look good "on paper" may not be fun to ride or may not feel good. I recently learned that.

[laura*]

The one argument I see for a SRAM groupset is that they have 11-32 cassettes (PG 1050 and PG 1070), compatible with Apex, Rival and Force. Shimano has up to 11-28 only.

With the Shimano road groups, it is possible to use a MTB cassette and a MTB rear derailleur to get lower/wider rear gearing. The only caveat is that the RD must not be a "new" DynaSys 10-speed derailleur - an older 9-speed (or 8, or 7!) is fine.

Of course, the color and finish won't match...

[WindingRoad]

Unfortunately the Bryant I originally decided to build up is now on back order indefinitely. I returned to my plan A, which was a Salsa Vaya. By a twist of fate I basically called every Salsa dealer I could reach within the US and eventually called a shop in Kentucky. The owner was very cool and said he had no problem ordering me a new frame! So eventually I will get to see it in person.

Here's a good pic of someone's Vaya, this is the same frame I'm getting
http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=710893

Style suggestions welcome

[WindingRoad]

OK Laura I was a little slow on the uptake there, I just noticed you responded with this.

With the Shimano road groups, it is possible to use a MTB cassette and a MTB rear derailleur to get lower/wider rear gearing. The only caveat is that the RD must not be a "new" DynaSys 10-speed derailleur - an older 9-speed (or 8, or 7!) is fine.

Of course, the color and finish won't match...